Sharpen Up: November 16, 2018

The Sabres are on the road for three games in four nights starting tonight in Winnipeg with an 8 p.m. ET faceoff against the Jets.
We'll have coverage of the morning skate here on Sabres.com and that'll lead into the GMC Game Night pregame show at 7:30 on MSG and WGR 550. Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray will have the call on MSG and WGR 550.
Buffalo will then head to Minnesota for a game tomorrow night against the Wild.
Here's what you need to know.

Tonight's matchup

From @SabresPR's Game Notes…

• Jack Eichel has totaled five points (3+2) in five career games against Winnipeg.
• Marco Scandella has five points (2+3) in his last five games against the Jets.
• Jeff Skinner has recorded four points (2+2) in four games against Winnipeg since the beginning of the 2016-17 season.
• Conor Sheary has three points (1+2) in his last three games against the Jets.
• Evan Rodrigues and Rasmus Ristolainen each recorded two assists in two games against Winnipeg last season.

Q&A with Conor Sheary

Sabres.com caught up with the Sabres wing ahead of the road trip, which will conclude with his first game against his former club, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
You can read the full Q&A here. Here's a quick preview of what you'll be getting yourself into…
Sabres.com: You were brought in over the summer when a lot of people we're talking about changing the culture. Carter Hutton has said that he felt a good vibe when he arrived in August. Did you feel that way?
Sheary:I mean, most importantly, I think the guys they kept around over the summer were really good, character guys. They're our leaders in our locker room, guys we rely on. I think last year, everyone thinks that just because they were last in the league you have a lot of bad players.
There's a lot of really good players and a lot of really good leaders. I think with the new faces we brought in, a little bit of youth in our lineup, I think we've just come in with a little bit of a new energy.
Sabres.com: Jason Botterill spent 10 seasons in the Pittsburgh front office. Whether it's the roster composition or the attitude in the dressing room, have you seen any similarities in how he's built this team?
Sheary: It's hard to do. When you're in Pittsburgh you've got a lot of high-end talent that you don't find every day so it's hard to build it like that. But I think as far as the stuff that people maybe don't see, I think he's doing a good job of incorporating some things that they did that maybe make our team better. Good, character people I think is a thing he looks for. I think he's done a really good job of that.
Sabres.com: Veterans have described the first day of camp this year as being one of the toughest practices they've been a part of. What was your initial impression?
Sheary:It was a hard day. I might have had one of the highest heart rates on the team, but I think it's good for us. I think it was maybe a wake-up call that we need to work that hard throughout the year to be successful. After that day, I think it all got easier, so that's a good thing. But yeah, it was a pretty hard day.
Sabres.com: Has that become the standard now?
Sheary: Yeah, I think so. I think if we can bear down for an hour a day or not even that during our practices it can really translate into games. So far, early in the season, I think we've been doing a good job of that.

Thursday's practice

Patrik Berglund appears set to return to the lineup after sitting as a healthy scratch against Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Berglund practiced on a line centering Vladimir Sobotka and Jason Pominville, replacing Evan Rodrigues.
Berglund also skated on the top power-play unit with Jeff Skinner, Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Rasmus Dahlin. It marks the third time Housley has tweaked the lineup during the team's three-game winning streak, which is reflective of the fact that the Sabres feel they can still clean up their game.
Here's how the full lineup looked at practice:
53 Jeff Skinner - 9 Jack Eichel - 23 Sam Reinhart
43 Conor Sheary - 37 Casey Mittelstadt - 21 Kyle Okposo
17 Vladimir Sobotka - 10 Patrik Berglund / 71 Evan Rodrigues - 29 Jason Pominville
28 Zemgus Girgensons - 22 Johan Larsson - 72 Tage Thompson
19 Jake McCabe - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
4 Zach Bogosian - 6 Marco Scandella
82 Nathan Beaulieu - 26 Rasmus Dahlin
81 Remi Elie* - 8 Casey Nelson
40 Carter Hutton
35 Linus Ullmark
*Extra forward skating on defense
Read the full Ice Level Practice Report here.

The Draft Room to open Saturday

Looking for a brand-new spot to watch a game or hang out with friends? We've got the place for you…
The Draft Room and the Labatt Brew House will both open to the public at 4 p.m. Saturday inside Labatt House, located at 79 Perry Street in downtown Buffalo.
The Draft Room, operated by PSE Hospitality, will serve as a communal establishment where beer and food are paired and shared creating an engaging and interactive hospitality experience.
The Draft Room is a fast-casual brew pub where guests seat themselves and order at the bar.
Open seating will accommodate 200 guests with a mix of bar seating, traditional booths and high tops, communal beer hall tables, a two-tiered shared bench, and additional seating for 100 in the 4,000-square foot seasonal outdoor beer garden.
Guests can choose from more than 30 varieties of beer, select cocktails and two selections of wine on tap. The Draft Room's menu will focus on sharable items such as fresh-baked pretzels, pizzas, smoked meats, salads and sandwiches, all delivered as they are prepared. Beer will be a featured ingredient in many menu items, and each will have a suggested beer pairing, determined by cicerone-certified staff.
The Draft Room's design tells the story of beer through production, packaging, shipping and delivery.
Its walls are lined with historical murals including the end of Prohibition and explaining the Standard Reference Method (SRM), which correlates each different style code with the appropriate type of beer. An industrial feel with views of Labatt's active brewery round out the unique space. You can visit The Draft Room online at thedraftroombuf.com.
"The Draft Room and Labatt House create another unique attraction that will draw new people to the Canalside and Cobblestone districts year-round," said PSE Chief Operating Officer Bruce Popko. "Terry and Kim Pegula have made another lasting impact on downtown Buffalo with this privately-financed project that will greatly complement KeyBank Center, Harborcenter and the tremendous improvements we've seen at Canalside. Their commitment continues to help transform our city."

Today in Sabres history

1974:Rick Martin scores the 1,000th goal in franchise history in a 7-5 loss at Boston.